The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-01-27
A Fiippart Letter /.

to Capt. Ham Snepperd, OF tnlS place. d
letter on the State debt question, which is
given to the public through the Richmond
papers. It is fippant production. not
COMFORTING with the dignity of the high
est law officer of the State, nor is it cred
liable to his mental force. Especially is
the following closing paragraph, coming
from the custodian of the laws of the
State, and presumed to be jealous of their
observance and enforcement. open to
criticism
s'In my opinion, the man, who, under
present circumstances pays his taxes IN
coupons, is not entitled to the respect or
consideration of the large body of his
friends and neighbors who, by paying in
money, are endeavoring to prevent the
direst evil-the utter reputation of the
entire principal Of the debt"
This is an emanation from the Attor-
ney General Of the State. Notwithstand-
ing the decisions of the highest judicial
tribunals of the State and Of the United
States, that coupons are legal tender for
all taxes, dues and demands upon the State
and that it is perfectly legal to pay taxes
with them, Mr.. Ayres promulgates his
conclusion that citizens who conform to
these decisions are not entitled to the ire
spect OF consideration, of those who may
pay their taxes in money" This is an
extraordinary boycotting bull. and coming
from Mr.. Ayres, holding the position he
does, is entitled to the contempt of every
manly man in the Commonwealth. 1t is
fiimsy and pitiable expedient to dignity
party necessities and obscure. under cover
of affected concern for Virginia, the weak
ness and ignorance, if not the treachery,
of the party he represents in dealing with
the very interests he assumes to defend.
| Had II not been for Democratic folly and
the legislation growing out of it, the cou
pom would have been practically dead
letter in Virginia. Had the Republican
legislation of 1882, designed to debar. and
| which effectually debarfed the coupons
from the treasury, not been repealed by
the acts of 16S3-S4, passed bya Democratic
Legislature, there would now be no contro
yersy over the "cut worm" That legisla-
ton did not essay to resist or nullify the
mandates of the highest court. 1t was
sanctioned by it. and yet it estopped the
coupon as a tax-paying agent. and caused
the treasury to be replenished with reve
nues ample for all the essential purposes
of the State government and the susie
nance of the educational and charitable
institutions of the Commonwealth. The re-
peal of the acts of Jan. IA and Jan. &c, 1882,
known as coupon killers n and a,where
the remedy of the coupon holder was PRE-
| served in the State Courts. and the enact
ment of the repeating laws of 1914 which de-
MED llremedy and invited the interference
of the Federal Court to preserve the integ-
| rity of the contract the State had made with
her creditors, were suhlimated folly which
only Legislature could have been gull
ty of that was consumed by partizan
rancor, and considered everything else
subordinate to partizan interests. And
now when the folly is yielding its
fruits in the threatened bankruptcy of
the treasury, the destruction Of the pub
lie schools, and the impairment and i'm
poverishment of our charitable institu-
lions, the Attorney General of the party
which has brought about this condition,
comes to the front not only to brand with
disrespect and condemnation those who
may avail themselves of the tax-paying
coupon provided by the Democratic par
ty, but to threaten the creditors with re
pudiation Of the debt that is due them.
This impotent conclusion is in keep
ing with the tenor of the letter and is as
discreditable to its author as the sugges-
ted alternative is execrable Mr.. Ayres
may feel authorized to speak for his par
| ty when he holds in terroreaa over the cred.
itors the dire alternative of ''repudia-
| ton, - but he does not speak for the peo-
pie of Virginia. The logical tendency of
all the legislation of the party he speaks
for has been to reputation from the
first, whether so designed or not. The
| Legislation On the debt question in 1866,
| and that in 1871, could have had but one
practical ending, and that reputation
from sheer inability to pay. 1t was only
when the Readjusters and Republicans took
hold of the question, formulated the true
debt of the State and devised a practical way
| to pay it, within the means at the command
of the State. that the "dire evil" to which
the Attorney General flippantly refers, was
dissipated and the people began to breathe
freer and see their way out. And not un-
| til Mr.. Ayres' party was again empowered
| to legislate, did this ''gorgon dire" of re-
quotation raise its hideous front to defame
| Virginia and arrest her material progress
and prosperity. The people OF Virginia
| will never repudiate the honest debt OF
the Commonwealth. The Dem ocratic At
torney General and the Democratic party,
capable of attempting to nallify the de-
cisions of the courts and inviting fatal
controversy between the State and FEEDER
al governments. may parade their threats
of reputation to alright the fearful
souls of the weak, but the robust man.
hood of Virginia will meet the issue as
honest men should and stamp it with
their indignant condemnation.
The good people of Washington city are
stirred up because of a paper presented
in the Senate on the 21st by Senator Col
quit, from the Woman's National Tenn
perance Association. It was memorial
containing charges of the most serious
character against the Commissioners OF
the District of Columbia, with reference
to their management Of the affairs of the
District, and especially to the special ia
vor they sho we'd the bawdy house keep
ers, liquor dealers. gamblers and lottery
and policy men. According to the signers
of the memorial, many of whom were in
the gallery of the Senate when it was read,
the commissioners put premium upon all
| sorts of vice. and immortality. PrOhablY